Tim Whipple, the second winningest basketball coach in South Carolina history, is retiring.
Whipple leaves the bench after 43 years of service, finishing his career with 848 wins and six state titles. He finished with 95 wins, falling short of John Smith's 943 wins, but reaching that number was never his intention.
His coaching career began and ended in Lexington County. He earned his first job as an assistant at Lexington High School. He then left Lexington to take over as the JV coach at Winnsboro High School before heading to Irmo. There he served as an assistant for two seasons before transitioning to the head coaching role during the 1981-82 season.
Whipple's success at Irmo spanned decades, building the program into an annual contender. The Yellow Jackets made the playoffs in all but three of his years as head coach. He won his first state title in 1991 and two more in the '90s.
The program and Whipple continued to work together through some struggles in the 2000s, but eventually found their way back to the top, winning titles in the 2010s and 2020s.
The Yellow Jackets won their first title in 16 years, having won in 2011. Two years later, Whipple and Irmo won their fifth title.
The 2023 championship came a decade after a fifth place finish, making it one of the most improbable runs Whipple has ever been a part of. The team advanced to the state championship thanks to the outstanding play of Class 4A Player of the Year Brandon Crawford, who overcame an injury in the first half of the season.
“This might be the most special group I've ever been around,” Whipple said after winning the 2023 title. “I never imagined we would make it to the state championship.”
Irmo's past seasons haven't been as smooth as the 2023 championship season, but Whipple knows that before the game even begins and this season is one of the biggest challenges he has to face as a coach. He said that.
“It's going to be difficult, but I think it's going to be very satisfying to see this group this year,” Whipple told the Chronicle in December.
Irmo had its fair share of ups and downs in 2024, finishing fifth in regional play with a record of 5-21 and 2-8. The Yellow Jackets performed well enough to qualify for the playoffs, but fell short of defending their title, losing 53-42 to Wilson in the first round.
That game was Whipple's last. He informed his team of his decision in the early morning hours of May 7th.
Irmo will now begin the process of finding the legend's successor in order to rebuild the program into a local powerhouse.